Wire management has become quite a problem in the modem age. With the advent and ubiquity of computers and computer peripherals in homes, offices, and dormitories, most technology users have found themselves inundated with messy and disorganized wires leading to and from their electronic equipment. This inundation is caused by the number of wires going to and from computers and the increasing number of peripherals and electronic devices now used with computers. For example, many users have a cable, DSL or telephone modem, a network hub, a router, a zip drive, a personal digital assistant and/or other devices that need to be connected either to electrical outlets or to other devices or computer equipment on a continuing basis.
Thus, not only do these electronic devices and wires result in an unsightly mess in themselves, but they also make it difficult to clean the areas around, behind or beneath the devices. Furthermore, hanging wires and unstable devices pose an entanglement and electrical danger for small children and pets. Even inadvertent tampering or jostling can disconnect or lead to damage of certain electronic peripherals, requiring time-consuming efforts to discern why the system is not working or even expensive repairs or replacements.
Commonly one or more devices or peripherals travel with the user to other settings, particularly laptop computers and personal digital assistants. The storage device described here facilitates easy separation and return connection of these mobile devices and any attached wires or cables out of and back to their dedicated sections.
At times, complete mobility of wires and other devices is required. For example, when moving, renters and dorm dwellers must disconnect their many devices and wires. This disconnection leads to disarray, storage and labeling requirements, and lost time during later efforts at identification and re-assembly. Any organization the user had in place is necessarily lost when each of the wires and devices must be unplugged and moved independently. Thus, there is a need for a storage device that can be used to contain and organize certain electronic devices and wires when they are in use, and also to make it easy to transport these together while maintaining their organization, when moving them to another space.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,763,707 and 3,337,682 each disclose a container for storing slack wires. A device for storing wires that can be plugged into a plug strip is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,944,694 and 5,924,892. These containers have pegs around which extra cable can be wound and stored. U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,562 provides an under-desk compartment (that can be reached through top of the desk surface) for storing wires used in desktop applications. U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,228 provides an electrical station in which multiple devices can be plugged into power and communication ports that are transferred to the organizing device.
Thus all of these devices provide a way to partially store excessive wires and cables. Some of these devices also include electrical outlets or a power strip. However, none of these devices provides a device for storing and organizing the actual electronic devices or computer peripherals (and their attendant wires) while they are in use. None provides space or heat disbursing ventilation for electronic devices. Additionally, none of these storage devices allows for the easy simultaneous transport of a number of electronic devices or computer peripherals and wires without losing organization (i.e., the peripherals such as modems would need to be unplugged from power and computer and moved individually).
Adequate wire management remains an unmet need. According to a survey performed by the inventor, 96% of respondents (68 individuals) answered “yes” to the question “Do you have a tangled mess of cables dangling behind your work area or entertainment system?” Ninety-seven percent (69 individuals) reported cleaning problems and fifty-one percent (36 individuals) endorsed safety concerns. Seventy-seven percent of respondents (54 individuals) stated that they would be either very interested or somewhat interested in “a product that would solve the cord mess problem.”
Thus, there is a need for a storage solution that can hold slack wires and electronic devices and provide a power supply. There is also a need for a device that would allow for the easy and organized simultaneous transport of multiple computer peripherals, electronic devices, and wires when moving from one living or working space to another. There is an additional need for a storage device that facilitates easy removal and return of mobile devices.